that it was Chrift's voice who fhook the earth from Sinai: "See that ye refufe not him that fpeaketh: For if they escaped not who refused him who spake on earth; much more fhall not we escape if we turn away from him that fpeaketh from heaven: whofe voice fhook the earth.",

2. THE place in which this glorious perfon covenanted with Ifracl was SINAI; or HOREB, in Arabia Petrea. Some conceive this mountain had two tops; the one lower, called Horeb; the other higher, called Sinai. Again, others think it more probable, that Horeb was the name of the wilderness, and Sinai of a mountain which ftands in it: They reckon, Sinai is exprefsly faid to be the name of the mountain; as when Mofes declares, that "mount Sinai was altogether on a fmoke :" And," the Lord came down on mount Sinai." And, as for thofe places where Horeb feems to be ftyled a mountain, as well as Sinai, the words will bear to be rendered THE MOUNT OF GOD IN HOREB *: That is, In the wilderness of Horeb, According to this view, Ifrael abode in the wildernefs of Horeb, at the foot of mount Si

band of the gofpel church, claims from his people in ward affection and love, and accepts them only who worfhip him in Spirit and in Truth. In the Mofaic Covenant it was otherways!" But this account can never Comport with Deut. v. 28, 29.

* Dr Owen's Exercit. Vol. I. p. 270.

4

nai, while the Law was announced to them from the top of it. Whatever be in thefe things, the names of the places themfelves seem to be fignificative: HOREB denotes DRY and PARCHED; and this was a parched land indeed, a land where there was no water. SINAI imports a BUSH, or THORNS: As thorns were the effect of the curfe, fo it was a fit place for announcing the curfe against every prefumptuous tranfgreffor. Horeb was the most horrid defart, and Sinai the moft rugged mountain in that folitude. Thus, the place added greatly to the horror of the fcene.

3. THE manner of his appearance was fuited to his work, as the Jewish lawgiver. It was expreffive of his divine majefty as the Son of God. He was attended with the most splendid retinue: The armies of heaven followed

him. Hence, this legiflation is ftyled THE WORD SPOKEN BY ANGELS. Angels did not affume the authority of lawgivers, indeed; but were glad to be made the inftruments by which the Son of God fhewed forth his glory; and waited, with humble cheerfulness, on his fervice. Both the number and office of the heavenly legions were a fignal illuftration of his majefty: "The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thoufands of angels: the Lord is among them as in Sinai.” As they announced the honour of the lawgiver, fo they alfo proclaimed the excellence of the law: Said

Paul,

Paul, "The Law was ORDAINED by angels in the hand of a Mediator." And Stephen exactly coincides with him in the fame fentiment : "Who received the law by the difpofition of angels *.". The ministry of these glorious spirits is expreffed in both texts, in the original, by one and the fame term. It is not meant of a magifterial ordination: for it cannot confift with the legislative authority, and peculiar Lordthip of the Great God, to fuppofe that he divided it, even with angels of the higheft order. So far as I can judge, it feems to denote their inftrumentality in raifing the fire and the finoke, and the found of the trumpet. Some alfo conceive, they formed the articulate voice by which the ten commandments were conveyed to the ears of the people. But the voice which pronounced the words of the Law was certainly the voice of God himfelf: "God pake all these words faying," &c. The inferior orders of creatures acknowledged, in their manner, his dreadful majefty and glory. Hence, when facred writers would reprefent the glory of the Deity, in the moft lofty ftrains, they borrow their colouring from this auguft appearance. Oftner than once has the Pfalmift

* Cal. iii. 19, and Acts vii. 53.

that

+ "Ejufdem eft cum fuperioribus generis, is quem ex "his locis communibus poftremum afferam, Dei in mon“tem Sinam Defcentus. Ubi defcribitur Adventus Dei

"ad

and

that power which moved the inanimate crea-tion on that grand occafion, in the moft fublime measures: "Then the earth fhook and trembled; the foundations of the hills moved, and were fhaken.”—“ There went up a finoke out of his noftrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured and coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens alfo and came down darknefs was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darknefs his fecret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the fkies. At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds paffed; hail ftones and coals of fire. The Lord alfo thundered in the heavens, and the Higheft gave his voice; hailftones and coals of fire *." Again, the fame royal infpired pen delineates this auguft fcene in the following terms: "O God, when thou wenteft forth before thy people, when thou didft march through the wildernefs; Selah : The earth fhook, the heavens alfo dropped at the prefence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the prefence of God, the God of If

"ad exercendum Judicium; ad liberandos pios, ad ex"cidendos hoftes, vel potentia Dei quocunque modo fefe "exhibens; ex angufto illo horribilique Sinæ apparatu "fcena in inftruitur. His nihil frequentius, nihil gran"dius," LoWTH (the prefent Bishop of London) de Sacra pocfi Heb. edit. alt. 1762. p. 110. :

* Pfal. xviii. 7-13.

racl."

rael *."

Once more,

"When Ifrael went out

of Egypt."" The mountains fkipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. What ailed you, O ye mountains, that ye kipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs? Tremble, thou earth, at the prefence of the Lord, at the prefence of the God of Jacobt." To thefe we may fubjoin Habakkuk's fketch of this appearace: "His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praife.""His brightnefs was as the light;"" the everlasting mountains were fcattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting."

"The mountains faw thee, and they trembled." Paul draws a profe defcription of this fcene far fuperior, in fimplicity and grandeur, unto the loftieft ftrains of heathen poefy : "The mount that burned with fire, the blacknefs of darkness, and tempeft, and the found of a trumpet, and the voice of words :"-" And fo terrible was the fight, that Mofes faid, I exceedingly fear and quake §." Thefe things §.” are a lively comment on the Mofaic hiftory: "There were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud."-" And Mofes brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they flood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was al